Fire-alarm telegraph apparatus.



No. 663,082. Patented Dec. 4, |900'.

v W.H. KIRNAN.

FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH APPARATUS. (Application led Oct. 4, 1899.)

(No Nudel.)

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With esses Inventz Nieren STATES TILLIAM H. KIRNAN, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GAME- VVELL FIRE-ALARM TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ALARM TELEGRAPH APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,082, dated December 4, 1900.

Application led October 4, 1899. Serial No. 732,451. (No model.)

@ZZ ww'm/ t may con/ecrit: time with the apparatus in question difficulty Beit known that I, WILLIAM I-I. KIRNAN, a is experienced by interference, the reception citizen of tne United States, residing at Baat the central oiice ot' two signals substanyonne, in the county of Hudson, State of New tially simultaneously, or at least so closely 55 Jersey, have invented a certain new and usefollowing each otherthat the tirst has not been fnl Improvement in Eire-Alarm Telegraph transmitted before the second is received, Apparatus, of which the following is a deserving to produce aberrations in the jokerscription. transmitter, and consequent confusion in the My invention relates to various new and transmission of the joker-signals. 6e 1o useful improvements in re-alarmtelegraph A second object of my invention is to proapparatus, and particularly to an improved duce a non-interference repeater for a joker system including the central-station and ensystem, by means of which the reception at gine-house apparatus. the central oiiice of two or more signals tend- At the present time it is the practice to eming to overlap one another will not affect the 65 ploy at the central station a so-cailed jokerjoker-transmitter and which in consequence transmitter, by means of which alarms rewill not result in confusion of the joker-sigcei ved at the central station will be repeated hals. With the lire-alarm telegraph systems upon one or more joker-circuits, each includof the type now in use it is the practice to ing one or more engine-houses, the jokerprovideatelegraphapparatus at eachengine- 7o 2o signal thus sent being transmitted at a high house and in the central station, whereby speed corresponding to that of the street-box communication between the several engineand being recorded upon a tape. It is the houses or between the engine-houses and the usual practice also at the present time to succentral station may be carried on over the ceed the joker-signal with a slower repetition joker-line. It is therefore possible as these 75 ot' the alarm, which is sounded-upon a heavy systems are now installed for any engineand powerful gong in each engine-house. It house t0 practically disable the joker-'line by thus becomes possible in the case of alarms breakingr it at any telegraph-key, which ii' received at night for the operator at each endone will prevent the joker-signals from begine-house to observe by an inspection of the ing transmitted or received. 8o o record )roduced b the cker-signal whether The final ob'ect of m 1 invention is to ro- 3 l y J s .l P

the alarm is to be responded to by his station, vide a system of the character described by and, it not,"it becomes possible by short-cirmeans of which telegraphic communication cuiting the gong mechanism to prevent the between one or more engine-houses or begong from beingv sounded and the tire'men tween any engine-house and the central of- 85 from being awakened. ice may be carried on in the absence of any The objection to the system which I have joker-signals on the line, but which telegraph about outlined is that the joker-transmitter apparatus will be immediately disabled and ai the central station does not commence to thejokerline placedin condition forthe transoperate until the first round from the streetmission and reception of fire-alarm signals 9o 4o box has been received, which in thel case of upon the receipt of such signals at the censome numbers, such as 685, may be of an tral oftlce, thus making it im possible for any objectionable extent. one, either accidentally or intentionally, to The primary object of my invention theredisable the joker-line by breaking the circuit fore is to provide an apparatus of the same at the key. 95

general type now in use, but by which the In order that my invention may be better signal received atl the central office will be understood, attention is directed to the acsentout by thejoker-transmitterimmediately com panying drawings, forming a part of this upon its receipt and without requiring a comspecification, and in whichplete round oi the signal to be lirst received Figure l is a diagram of a convenient emroo 5o at the central office. In this way I avoid the bodiment of my improved system, and Fig. 2 time now lost in this work. At the present a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

In each of the abo'vevi'ews corresponding part-s are represented by the same numerals of reference.

The system illustrated is a closed-circuit system, and it will be so described; but it Will be understood that my invention may be applied to open-circuit systems or to systems employing both open and closed circuits, the necessary changes forconverting it into one or the other being obvious to any one skilled in the art. I prefer to use a c1osedcircuit system on account of the greater security which is offered thereby.

1 and 2 represent, diagrammatically, the transmitting mechanism of two ordinary street-boxes, anyl number of which can be used. Each box is provided With av powerdriven make-and-break Wheel 3 or 3, adapt-ed to be released when the box is pulled to make its prescribed number of rotations. Coperating With the break-Wheels 3 and 3 are contact-springs 4 4.l Leading from the boxy 1 is a closed circuit 5, including a battery 6,

and leading from the boX 2 is a closed circuit 7, including a'battery 8. These circuits 5 and7 are the usual street-circuits and lead to the Vcentral station, Where suitable mechanism is placed. Generally a plurality of street-boxes are placed in each street-circuit, as Will be understood. A key 9 or 9 is placed in each street-circuit and 7, respectively, and is located at the central station for the purpose of testing. A relay 10 or 10 is also included in the street-circuits 5 and 7 respectively, and placed in the central station. The relay 10 controls a local circuit 11, including a register 12 for effecting a visual permanent record on a traveling tape, as iscommon, While a local circuit 13 is controlled by the relay 10' and includes a regis-Al ter 14, similar to the register 12 and recording on a second tape or, if desired, upon the same tape as the register 12. A local battery 15 is common to both the circuits l1 and 13. Where more than two street-lines are employed, acorresponding number of streetthe repeater-magnets 16 and 17, respectively,

will be normally attracted, as shown, assuming a closed circuit to be used, and when so attracted the armatures serve to lock in place levers 19 and 19, respectively, each carrying a shutter 20, normally concealing a number corresponding to and designating each respective street-circuit. I illustrate the shutter 20 for the repeater-magnet 16 as having been released, the supposition being that the street-box 1 is in operation, the break-wheel 3 having completed at least a full turn or having completed its entire movement. The shutter-levers 19 and 19 when released may fall by their weight; but they are preferably tripped by a spring 21 and are reset by a restoring-rod 22, having pins 23 23, which engage the shutter-levers below their pivots, said restoring-rod 22 being mounted in bearings, (not shown,) so as to slide sidewise.

Mounted labove the repeater-magnets 16 and 17 is a non-interference shaft 2, which is carried in bearings 2525, so as to permit of a rocking movement, and said shaft carries the arms 26 26, adapted to engage with fingers 27, carried upon the levers A`19 and 19 'When the latter are locked in their uppermost positions by means of the armature-levers 18 and 18. A spring 2S, engaging an arm 29 onl the non-interference lever 2-1, normally withholds the arms 26 from the fingers The non-interference shaft 211 carries the armature 30 of a non-interference magnet 31, whereby When said magnet 31 is energized the armature 30 Will be attracted, rocking the vnon-interference shaft and engaging the arms N26 in front of the ijngers 27.

Each shutterlever 19 and 19 controls a series of circuitclosers 32 33 34:andv 32 33 34. The circuitfclosers 32- and 32 and any other correspond- Azing circuit-closers, when more than two re- ;peater-magnets are used, are included in a normally open circuit 35 with the non-inter- .ference magnet 31. A battery 36 is included in said circuit. When all the shutter-levers are locked in their normal positions, the cirlcuit-closers 32 and 32" will break the circuit and the non-interference magnet 31 will be denergized; but upon the release of any of the shutter-levers by the breaking of a line-circuit at one of the street-boxes the circuit-'closer 32 or 32' will close the circuit 35,

energizing the non-interference magnet 31,

attracting the armature 30, rocking the shaft 24, and throwing the arm 26 in front of the finger 27 of the other repeater magnet or magnets than the one which was operated. In this way it will be observed the repeatermagnets, except the one first operated,\vil1 be locked by the non-interference mechanism, and they cannot therefore affect the jokertransmitter, as I will hereinafter explain. Assuming the parts to he in the position shown in Fig. 1,' it will be seen, however, that althouglrthe repeater-magnet 17 is locked against interference and cannot affect the joker-transmitter, yet a signal coming over the street-circuit 7 will energize the relay 10 and operate ,the register 14, so that the operator at the central office will know that the street-circuit 7 has been energized and can 'send out the proper signals to the engine- IOO IIO

ized relays into contact with the back stops 79 and 93, respectively, thereof. Thus the telegraph-keys at the central station and at the several engine-houses will be prevented from breaking the joker-circuit by the closure of the shunts 7l and 85 through the contact devices 72 and Sb', respectively. As soon, therefore, as one of the repeater-magnets is operated to actuate the pole-changer the polarized relays will be operated on the jokercircuit to prevent the disablement of that circuit by any one of the signaling-keys, and it thus becomes impossible for a person, either accidentally or intentionally, to disable the joker-circuit by the manipulation of one of such keys. The reversal of -the current by the pole-changer throwing` the armature of the polarized relay 69 into cont-act with the back stop 79 thereof places the bell 8l in condition for signaling upon the energization and denergization of the direct relay 70, while the corresponding movement of the armature ot' the polarized relay 83 places the register95 and bell 96 in condition for operation when the direct relay 84 is affected. The movements which have been described take place immediately after the breaking of the line-circuit to one of the repeater-magnets-for example, magnet l-so that at the rst release of said magnet the closing of the repeatercircuit 46 at the contacts 47 and circuit-closer 34 will energize the repeater-magnet 38 to move the detent 4l out of engagement with the turned-in end 45 of the arm 42, thus allowing the shaft 43 to turn almost a complete 'rotation and breaking the joker-circuit between the contact-springs 53 53. The breaking of this circuit allows the direct relays and 84 to close the local circuits 8O and 94, respectively, on the bell 8l at the central station and upon the register 95 and bell 96 at each engine-house. Upon the completion of the line-circuit 5 to again energize the repeater-magnet 16 the repeater-circuit 46 will be broken at the contacts 47 to denergize the joker-transmitter magnet 38, allowing the detent 40 to be withdrawn from engagement with the turned-in end 45 and permitting said end to again engage the detent 41, whereby the shaft 43 will have completed its full turn, the contact 52 will be brought again into engagement with the springs 53, and the jokercircuit will be again completed, energizing the direct relays 70 and 84 and breaking the local circuits through the bell and register. Thus each make and break in the line-circuit will be transmitted over'the joker-circuit and received at the engine-house, and this result will take place during the first and each succeeding round of the street-box signal instead of only at the commencement of the second round of said signal, as at the present time. During the normal condition of the j oker-circuit when the pole-changer circuit 66 is broken at the several repeater-magnets the armatures of the polarized relays 69 and S3,

respectively,will be in engagement with their front stops. The shunts 7l and 85 are therefore broken at the contacts 72 and 86,1espectively, so that the joker-circuit can be controlled from the telegraph-keys. The breaking of the circuit at one of the telegraph-keys i will therefore result in the denergization of the direct relays 70 and 84, respectively, closing the battery 78 at the central station on the sounder through the front stop 73 and circuit 74 and closing the sounder S9 at the engine-house on the battery 92 through the front stop S7 and circuit SS. Ordinary telegraphic communication can in this way be established; but the moment a signal is received at the central station to operate the pole-changer the movement of the armatures of both polarized relays will complete the sh u nt around each key, throw out the sounder, and connect in the bell at the central station and the register and bell at the engine-house. It thus becomes possible during the normal condition of the joker-circuit to establish communication between any two enginehouses or between an engine-house and the central station; but such communication will be automatically interrupted immediately a signal is received at the central station.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a street-circuit, a repeatermagnet controlled thereby, a joker-transmitter magnet operated from the repeater-magnet, a joker transmitting apparatus under the control of the joker-magnet, and a joker-circuit controlled by said transmitting apparatus, substantially as set forth.

2. In a (ire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a street-circuit, a repeatermagnet controlled by said circuit, a repeatercircuit controlled by the armature of said repeater-magnet, a joker-magnet in said repeater-circuit, a joker-transmitter controlled by the joker-magnet, and a joker-circuit eX- tending to an engine-house and controlled by said joker-transmitter, substantially as set forth.

3. In a nre-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a plurality of street-circuits, arepeater-magnet for each circuit, a jokertransmitter magnet, repeater-circuits controlled by the repeater-magnets and including said joker-transmitter magnet, a joker-transmitter controlled by the joker-magnet, and a joker-circuit controlled by the joker-trans- IOO IIO

mitter, and a non-interference mechanism for locking the armature of the inactive repeatermagnet, substantially as set forth.

`5. In a fire-alarm telegraph system,'tl1e combination of a plurality of street-circuits, a repeater-magnet for each of said circuits, a joker-circuit controlled by said repeatermagnets, a non-interference device for locking the armaturesy of the repeater-magnets in an inactive position, a non-interference magnet controlling said device, and a circuit-controlling device actuated upon the operation of one of said repeater-magnets to allow the non-interference magnet to effect the locking of the armatures of the non-actuated repeater-magnets, substantially as set forth.

6. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a plurality-of street-circuits, a repeater-magnet for each of said circuits, a joker-circuitl controlled by said repeatermagnets, a non-interference device for disabling the repeater-magnets to prevent them from actuating the joker-circuit, and means controlled by the operation of one of said repeater-magnets to cause the non-interference device to lock the other repeater-magnets, substantially-as set forth.

7. In a nre-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a plurality of street-circuits, a repeater-magnet for each of saidcircuits, a joker-circuit -controlled from the armatures of said repeater-magnets, a non-interference device, a shutter-lever locked against movementy by the armature of each repeater-magnet, a non-interference device, and a circuitcontrolling mechanism operated by the shut' ter-levers of the repeater-magnets to actuate said non-interference device, substantially as set forth.

8. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a plurality of street-circuits, a repeater-magnet in each circuit, a shutterlever controlled by each repeater-magnet, a non-interference shaft mounted above said repeater-magnets, arms on said shaft to engage the shutter-levers, a magnet for operating said shaft, and circuit-con trolling de vices operated by the shutter-levers for effecting the operation of the non-interference magnet, substantially as set forth.

9. In a ire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a plurality of street-circuits, a repeater-magnetin each circuit, a repeatercircuit controlled by the armatures of said repeater-magnets, a joker-magnet iu said repeater-circuit, a joker-circuit controlled by the joker-magnet, andra circuit-controlling` device for making the repeater-circuit operative controlled from the operation of any one of said repeater-magnets, substantially as set forth.

10. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the

combination of a plurality of street-circuits, a repeater-magnet in each circuit, a repeatercircuit controlled by said repeater-magnets, a joker-magnet in said repeater-circuit, a joker-circuit controlled by the joker-magnet,

and circuit-controlling devices for completing the repeater-circuit, said devices being under the control of the respective repeatermagnets, substantially as set forth.

11. Ina fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a plurality of street-circuits, a repeater-magnet in each circuit, a shutterlever controlled by each magnet, a repeatercircuit controlled by said magnets, a jokermagnet in saidl circuit, a joker-circuit controlled by the joker-magnet, and a circuitclosing device operated by each shutter-lever for closing the repeater-circuit at each repeater-magnet, substantially as set forth.

12. In a nre-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a street-circuit, a repeatermagnet in said circuit, a repeater-circuit controlled by the armature of said repeater-magnet, a joker-magnet in said repeater-circuit, an escapement device actuated by said jokermagnet,a joker-transmitter controlled by said escapement device, and a joker-circuit controlled by said transmitter, substantially as set forth.

13. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination of a street-circuit, a repeatermagnet controlled by said circuit, a repeatercircuit controlled by said repeater-magnet, a joker-magnet in said repeater-circuit, a jokercircuit controlled by said jokermagnet, telegraphic apparatus in the joker-circuit, a polarized relay for disabling said telegraphic apparatus, a pole-changer for reversing the current in the joker-circuit, and a circuitcontrolling device under the control of the repeater magnet for actuating said polechanger, substantially as set forth.

14. In a lire-alarm telegraph system, the combination with a street-circuit and a repeater-magnet controlled thereby, of a jokercircuit, a joker-transmitter controlled by the repeater magnet, a polarized relay in the joker-circuit, a telegraph-key connected to said relay, ashunt around said key adapted to be broken by reversal of current in the relay, and a pole-changer in the joker-circuit controlled by the repea ter-magnet, substantially as set forth.

15. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination With a street-circuit and a repeater-magnet controlled thereby, of a jokercircuit, a joker-transmitter controlled by the a'pol'e-changer in the joker-circuit controlled by the repeater-magnet, a sounder connected to the front stop of said polarized relay, and a bell connected to the back stop of said polarized relay, substantially as set forth.

16. In a lire-alarm telegraph system, the combination with a street-circuit and a repeater-magnet controlled thereby, of a jokercircuit, a joker-transmitter controlled by the repeater magnet, a polarized relay in the jokercircuit, a telegraph-key connected to IOO IIO

said relay, a shunt around said key adapted to be broken by reversal of current in the relay, a pOlephanger in the joker-circuit controlled by the repeater-magnet, a sounder connected to the front stop of said polarized relay, and a bell and register connected to the back stop of said polarized relay, substantially as set forth.

17. In a tire-alarm telegraph system, the combination with a street-circuit 4and a repeater-magnet controlled thereby, of a jokercircuit, a joker-transmitter controlled by the repeater magnet, a polarized relay in the joker-circuit, a telegraph-key connected to said relay, a shunt around said key adapted to be broken by reversal of current in the relay, a pole-changer in the joker-circuit controlled by the repeater-magnet, a sounder connected to the front stop of said polarized relay, a bell connected to the back stop of said polarized relay, and a direct relay in the joker-circuit for actuating said sounder, substantially as set forth.

18. In a fire-alarm telegraph system, the combination with a street-circuit and a repeater-magnet controlled thereby, of a jokercircuit, a joker-transmitter controlled by the repeater magnet, a polarized relay in the joker-circuit, a telegraph-key connected to said relay, a shunt around said key adapted to be broken by reversal of current in the relay, a pole-ehangerin the joker-circuit controlled by the repeater-magnet, a sounder connected to the front stop of said polarized relay, a bell connected to the back stop of said polarized relay, and a direct relay in said joker-circuit for actuating the sounder and bell, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 14th day of September, 1899.

WILLIAM H. KIRNAN.

Witnesses:

J No. R. TAYLOR, ARCHIBALD G. REESE. 

